September 7,2013
By Saeed Qureshi
While the incidence of rape is soaring in
India, the rupee is falling steeply. From 54 rupees per dollar in May this year
it has dipped to Rs.65 to date. There is a likelihood of its further plunge in
the coming days if not arrested by effective measures. Let us deal with rape
situation first.
India seems to be caught up between two
mammoth crises. One is the moral meltdown and the other is the economic
downturn. The societies do suffer from setbacks. But it also devolves upon the
leadership to overcome such ugly monstrosities and put a halt to those setbacks
in a competing world.
India has been neck and neck with China in economic
growth.The economic debacle has lowered Indian
ranking to 60, as mentioned in the annual Global Competitiveness Report
2013-2014, released by Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF). It is distressing
for India because it is 31 points lower than her regional rival China.
Statistically every 20 minute a rape of a female
takes place in India. Recently there has been a spate of agonizing and atrocious
rape incidents in India. Doing masturbation in front of women in public places
is a common spectacle. The gang rape by five males of a 23-year old medical
student on December 16 last year in a bus is the most outrageous incident that
shook the entire India and the world beyond. As a result of that brutal attack
she died two weeks later.
Now as recent as August 22 another horrific
rape of a photojournalist was committed in Mumbai. One can imagine how sinister
and ugly the situation is getting in the largest democracy of the world.
“For three months I lived this way, in a traveler's heaven
and a woman's hell. I was stalked, groped, masturbated at; and yet I had
adventures beyond my imagination.”
“This
is the story you don't want to hear when you ask me about India. But this is
the story you need. There was no way to prepare for the eyes, the eyes that
every day stared with such entitlement at my body.”
“When
people ask me about my experience studying abroad in India, I always face the same
dilemma. How does one convey the contradiction that over the past few months
has torn my life apart, and convey it in a single succinct sentence?”
Let me quote another observation from a report published
in AP and penned by Nirmala George. She writes,
“Rapes in India remain drastically under-reported. In many
cases, families do not report rapes due to the stigma that follows the victim
and her family. In other instances, families may decide not to report a rape
out of frustration with the long delays in court and harassment at the hands of
the police. Police themselves are reluctant to register cases of rape and
domestic violence in order to keep down crime figures or to elicit a bribe from
the victim.”
In a fiendish propensity for raping underage
and very young children of late, several cases have been reported in the Indian
press. One such horrific incident was of a four years old girl raped on April
17. She died in hospital nearly two weeks after she was raped and found
unconscious at a farm. One can also reckon how other countless rape incidents remain
unnoticed particularly in villages and dense urban areas where a pall of
aloofness and fear of stigma deters the victims from disclosures.
In a recent report, the “Asian Center for
Human Rights” cited statistics in which it showed that 48,338 child rape cases
were reported in India between 2001 and 2011. The report said that the number
of cases rose from 2,113 in 2001 to 7,112 in 2011.
ABC’s South Asia correspondent Michael
Edwards in his August 20 article paints a dismal picture of the dwindling state
of Indian economy. He quotes Mark Colvin as commenting that, “One of the
world’s biggest economies is heading towards a crisis. India’s currency, the
rupee, has crashed to record lows and its stock market is experiencing serious
falls."
"To add to India’s problems, capital is also flowing out of the country
at what economists describe as dangerous levels. Analysts argue that investor
frustration at the slow pace of economic reform is a major part of the problem.
Others point to a lack of political leadership.”
In his most objective analysis of the
fledgling Indian economy, Arvind Subramanian in his article published by New York
Times on August 30 writes that, “Growth has slowed to 4.4 percent a year; the rupee is in
free fall, resulting in higher prices for imported goods; and the specter of a
potential crisis, brought on by rising inflation and crippling budget deficits,
looms.”
He apportions the blame for this crippling
economic downturn to, “The current government, which took office in 2004, has
made two fundamental errors. First, it assumed that growth was on autopilot and
failed to address serious structural problems. Second, flush with revenues, it
began major redistribution programs, neglecting their consequences: higher
fiscal and trade deficits.”
India is the second most populous country
after China. Its present population of 1.21 billion is projected to be
the world's most populous country by 2025, surpassing China. Correspondingly
the socio-economic challenges would also exacerbate with the growth of
population. If far reaching strategies are not evolved to forestall the
population growth or create additional resources, there is going to be complete
mayhem in India.
India is beset with a plethora of ethnic and
racial mosaic. It is also bedeviled with draconian caste system that somehow
hinders an even handed socio economic uplift. The dillats or untouchables and
also the religious minorities remain marginalized. India is a secular society by
constitution but practically the people go by their religious obligations.
That
is why one can witness cows, apes and occasionally elephant in Indian streets.
The round wheel on the Indian flag and otherwise the displays of Indian sacred
weapon Trishool are manifestations of preponderance for Hinduism. Like Pakistan
and other religious dominated country, there is a predominant section of
population that comprises die-hard and fanatic Hindu extremists. They protest vehemently
and even go on rampage against the minorities particularly Muslims in case of a
dispute such as Babri mosque.
India is certainly advancing comically but it
still falls short of eradicating rampant poverty and raising the quality of
life as China has done. China being a one party system can enforce her
decisions effectively. India being a democracy has to seek consensus for watershed
decisions.
The infrastructure in India has been markedly
improved over the years but still one can see the slums and ghettos in big
cities. It would take a great deal of efforts and time for India to put on the
grab of a veritable modern state.
Like other third world countries in India to
there is endemic corruption and manipulation of state funds by the influential
sections and misuse of power for personal gains at every level from top to
bottom.
India is also plagued by a multitude of separatist
movements. That challenge is the most formidable because it fractures and at
least poses a grave danger to the Indian territorial integrity. Moreover it puts
enormous financial burden on the Indian economy. No one could forebode how long
it would take India to bridle, tame or overcome insurgencies for separation from
the Indian federation.
The cardinal issue of Kashmir between India
and Pakistan on one hand and Tibet with China on the other are formidable deflections
that would continue to bog down India till these are resolved. Once
these territorial disputes are resolved India would be free to divert the funds
now being spent on these issues to development and reconstruction.
No comments:
Post a Comment